Kazuki Muto and The Challenge

"Kazuki, are you nuts?!

Kazuki backed away from Tokiko, smiling nervously. "Ah, c'mon, Tokiko, don't be like that.  It's not that big a deal, really!"

"LIKE HELL IT ISN'T!" the girl screamed, startling some of the other attendants, as well as nearly making Kazuki wet himself. He thought, not for the first time, how downright horrifying Tokiko could be when she was truly angry. In fact, he felt certain that, were it not for the fact that they were in a public place, she'd have her Valkyrie Skirt activated and using the Buso Renkin's blades to menace (and poke) him.

In spite of his fear, Kazuki managed another nervous, yet genuine smile. "Tokiko, you don't have to worry. Remember, we've both faced a whole bunch of homunculi together; what's some manly eating compared to that?"

Tokiko scowled, lightly punching Kazuki in the shoulder. "Sorry, but I don't see anything 'manly' about making a pig of yourself!"

Wincing, Kazuki rubbed the sore point of impact. "Well, maybe you don't understand because you're a girl…?" he timidly offered.

Big mistake.

"Kazuki…" Tokiko growled, a vein popping in her head. She tightly clenched her fists, causing an audible crack  to resound through the air.

Too late, Kazuki realized his misstep. Stammering, he began backing up, but ended up falling down as a result. "W-wait, Tokiko! I-I didn't mean it like that…"

SMACK!

Kazuki keeled over, clutching his stomach. Rolling her eyes, Tokiko withdrew her fist and turned around, ignoring Kazuki's gasping.

"Look, Kazuki," she began, her tone softening a bit, "It's not that I don't have faith in you." Her voice hardened again. "But from what I've seen, gorging yourself is not the way to prove that your…" Tokiko faltered, her face flashing a bright red. "…mark of manhood is as big as your friends'!"

She was referring, of course, to the events that had started this whole mess. Earlier, before coming to the school festival (which happened to be one of the greatest and biggest in Ginsei Academy's history,) Kazuki had bathed with his friends, Daihama,  Okakura, and Rokumasu. Joking, laughing, and generally enjoying each others' company, it wasn't long before the subject of their conversations  took a steep drop in maturity (as far as Tokiko was concerned,) and switched to a topic they had discussed, several months before.

Looking downwards, they had each compared the sizes of their…Tokiko gritted her teeth…parts, she decided…, each declaring theirs to be bigger than the others. None of them, however, had declared their 'supremacy' as earnestly as Kazuki had (big surprise there, Tokiko thought.)

Okakura, getting a wicked look, had retorted that, if Kazuki really thought that his was the best, he could prove it at the festival.

"How's that?" Kazuki had asked, smiling.

"By being the first student in Ginsei Academy history to ever complete 'The Challenge,'" Okakura had replied, in a smug voice (but one that had nonetheless lacked any real malice.)

Kazuki, Daihama, and Rokumasu's eyes had bugged out at this.

"The…Challenge?" Daihama finally spoke up, the large boy becoming visibly worried. Rokumasu only nodded, remaining somewhat calm. This was an admirable thing in itself, especially considering what Okakura was suggesting.

The Magnificent Ginsei Banquet, or 'The Challenge,' as it was known by the students, was an event hosted by the town itself. In it, course after course after course of the area's best, most filling food was served, one after another, to the daring participant. The first few courses were never a problem; most students had cleared them with relative ease.

However, as the unfortunate student soon found out, they had involved themselves in something even more terrible and overwhelming than they had thought. The portions got bigger, the food got more filling, and the courses just kept on coming and coming….

Naturally, it wasn't long before the student keeled over, falling unconscious from the massive influx of food. They would then be carted off to the infirmary, where they would likely have to spend at least three days recovering.

Kazuki had looked incredibly worried and doubtful at first. However, as he gave it more thought, a smile slowly spread across his face.

Food? That was nothing compared to the things he and Tokiko had faced; namely, flesh-eating monsters, humanoid versions of said monsters, and Koushaku Chouno, the former student-turned homunculus. What was an eating contest compared to that?

Without hesitation, Kazuki had declared that he'd not only win the challenge, but stay awake for five whole minutes afterwards. His friends, upon hearing this, had all whooped, wishing him the best of luck and promising to be there to watch him succeed.

Tokiko, upon hearing this, had become incredibly peeved. She, too, had heard about The Challenge, and the fact that no student had ever managed to beat it.  Naturally, she was concerned; knowing Kazuki, he wouldn't give up, even when he could eat no more. If worst came to worst, he might even make himself seriously ill.

Of course, at the present moment, she was feeling more irritated than anything, a feeling that remained even as she heard Kazuki's breaths begin to grow fainter; he was obviously beginning to recover.

She sighed. Well, if he really wanted to stuff himself, she probably wouldn't be able to dissuade him, anyway, so there was no further point in protesting.

Preparing herself, she turned around. "Listen, Kazuki…" her voice died in her throat as she stared at the spot where Kazuki crouched. Or rather, where he had been crouching.

All at once, Tokiko's anger returned. "Son of a!...Going off like that!" Grumbling, she took off in the direction where she knew The Challenge to be. Hopefully, Kazuki didn't make himself too sick…

Kazuki sat at the table, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. The Challenge was about to begin, and he could hardly wait.

Now I get to prove my manhood! he thought, grinning.

"Whoo! Go get 'em, Kazuki!"

"Good luck!"

"Take your time, and you'll be fine!

"Yay, big brother! You can do it!"

Kazuki laughed as he heard the voices of his friends, as well as that of his sister, Mahiro, from the crowd. He'd known they'd be there, of course, but it still felt good to hear their voices.

I just hope Tokiko comes, Kazuki thought, a bit wistfully. She'd seemed pretty mad…

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard a voice cut through the air:

"Attention, students of Ginsei Academy! Today, Muto Kazuki will attempt to complete that which no student has ever completed before: The Magnificent Ginsei Banquet!" A resounding cheer rumbled forth at the announcer's voice.

"The rules are this: no assisting the participant, no cruel remarks, and please, no trying to pull the contestant away!" Raising his arm, the announcer signaled for the first dish-soba noodles-to be brought out. This was set before Kazuki, whose face became the very picture of determination.

"Ready…" the announcer intoned, right before bringing his arm down. "Begin!"

Grinning, Kazuki set to his soba noodles with a will. He smiled even wider as he heard encouraging shouts emanating from the audience. Spurred on, he finished his soba in a matter of minutes.

"Next!" Kazuki called out. In response, the servers brought out a plate of chicken wings. Wasting no time, Kazuki grabbed a wing and cleaned out all the meat. He repeated this with the next one, then the next, then the next, then the next, then the next, until the plate was empty.

"Next!" Another plate was brought out, this one holding a heap of nachos with a liberal amount of cheese, beans, and the like laid on top. Kazuki stared at this for a few seconds, before grabbing a nacho, dipping it in the toppings, and shoving it in his mouth. He continued with the next few, shoving several in his mouth at a time. Eventually, that plate, too, was empty.

"Next!" This time, a plate of hot dogs. Kazuki finished them off, no problem.

"Next!" Now, a large box lunch with a soda. Kazuki tore into it, finishing it in just under a few minutes.

"Next!" Now, a plate with four massive burgers. Kazuki grabbed each one and took huge bites, attempting to finish them all off as soon as possible. He succeeded.

"Next!" Kazuki watched the servers retreat, probably to prepare the next course.  Settling back into the chair to rest, Kazuki patted his belly, which had become a bit rounded and bulging from the food he had already eaten. Kazuki blinked when he noticed this.

"Wow, must have been more than I'd thought…" Kazuki muttered, rubbing his belly. "No problem, though; I've just gotten started!"

No sooner had he finished this sentence than the servers brought out the next course: a large plate of scrambled eggs with five strips of bacon on the side. Kazuki didn't hesitate: he grabbed his fork,  stabbed the eggs, and shoveled them into his mouth. When he'd finished the eggs, his stomach had swelled a bit; not quite enough to be visible, but just enough to cause some strain about his waist.

Disregarding this, Kazuki grabbed all five strips of bacon and shoved them into his mouth, crunching on them and swallowing them.

"Next!" A rack of ribs.

"Next!" A plate of dumplings.

"Next!" A bowl of fried rice. More pressure on his waist.

"Next!" A few shish-kebabs. His shirt stretched considerably.

"Next!" A well-done steak.

With each of his courses, his belly grew, this time a bit more visibly. When Kazuki took the final bite of his steak, he leaned back, smiling and rubbing his gut.

"Man, that's good," he said, smiling.  Looking down, he took note of his belly.

His stomach had gone past being rounded, and now distended about half an inch in front of him. He noticed his red shirt had begun rising up as well, exposing a tiny bit of pink skin. He also noticed this his belly was pressing, a bit uncomfortably, against his pants.

Kazuki chuckled. "Whoops; better take care of that." Reaching down, he fumbled with his belt buckle for a little bit, before finally managing to undo it. Holding it out to the side, he deposited it on the ground. Again, he settled into his seat, resting his hands on his belly. Though still held back by his buttoned pants, the absence of a belt had allowed his belly to bulge outwards, a little bit. His shirt stretched a bit more, at the same time rising up another inch or so.

"Next!" Kazuki called out, eagerly anticipating the next course and rubbing his belly with both hands. That felt really good…

Of course, his confidence wavered a bit when he saw the next course: a massive prime rib.

Kazuki gulped; he guessed he was entering the really tough part of the challenge.

Keeping this in mind, he took things a bit slower once it was set before him:: he would a cut a piece of meat, eat it; cut a piece, eat it; cut a piece , eat it…

By the time he had eaten half of the prime rib, his stomach had swelled some more. It now formed a sizable bulge, sticking out past his school jacket. The rounded appendage had also begun exerting serious pressure against his trousers. He noticed, too, that his stomach was beginning to peek out a bit more from underneath his red shirt, to the point where the very bottom of his navel was visible. Kazuki blinked, a bit surprised, before clutching his gut and winced; his pants were beginning to feel pretty tight. If he didn't do something, they might break…

Guess I better make some more room, he thought. Again, his hands went down to his pants, grasping his pants button. It was a bit difficult for him to get a firm grip, what with his belly being swelled and all, but eventually he managed to unbutton his. Satisfied, Kazuki released his pants

His stomach once again bulged outwards, no longer restrained by the tight  article of clothing. His gut became even more apparent, as his shirt slid up a bit, exposing a little bit more of his belly button. Meanwhile, his zipper was forced down the tiniest bit by his stomach.

Bemused, but nonetheless happy, Kazuki resumed work on the prime rib. As he continued cutting the meat and eating it, his stomach began to show the effects of his actions. It began swelling, slowly but surely, pushing outwards and forcing his red shirt further up, at the same time forcing his zipper downwards, bit by bit.

Ignoring this, Kazuki continued working at the prime rib, not stopping until, at last, he held the final morsel skewered on his fork. This morsel he stuck into his mouth, chewing and swallowing it. Sighing deeply, he leaned back and placed both of his hands on his gut. He was surprised to feel bare skin underneath his fingers instead of the cloth of his shirt. Looking down to investigate, he became a bit shocked at what he found.

His red shirt had risen up even more, coming to rest near the top of his belly. He caressed the bare skin, smiling at the pleasurable sensations. He laughed a little bit when he saw his belly button was now completely exposed, as well as much of the stomach above it.

Turning around, he yelled out, "Hey, Mappy! Check it out!" He stood up, pointing to his stomach. "My belly button's showing!"

The front of the crowd stirred a bit, allowing a red-haired girl to come through. "Ooh, let me see, let me see!" She stared at Kazuki's gut for a moment before pointing at it herself, smiling. "I see it, big brother! I see it!"

Laughing, Kazuki waved his arms above his head, fully exposing his belly and partially undone pants.

In the back of the crowd, Tokiko groaned. What is with their obsession with belly buttons?! she thought, frustrated.  Shaking her head, she refocused her attention on Kazuki, smiling and waving even as his belly stuck out for the whole world to see.

"Idiot," she mumbled under her breath, shaking her head as she did so.

After spending a minute waving, Kazuki sat back down, ready to receive the next several courses.

First, a whole fried chicken.

Next, an entire slab of roast beef.

Then, a massive, meaty plate of barbecued chicken.

As Kazuki started on yet another course, this one simply a massive plate of French fries with liquid cheese slathered on top, he stopped abruptly. Groaning, he clutched his gut.

"Oh man…I'm so stuffed," he whined, hands once again on his stomach, his fingers framing his belly button.

His stomach had once again grown in size and diameter. It now came dangerously close to the table, and felt uncomfortably heavy. His pants, despite being undone and having the zipper forced nearly completely downwards, again began to feel a bit tight. Now, his shirt only covered his chest, his bare belly completely sticking out.

Groaning, Kazuki laid back. "Oh man…I don't know if I can do this…"

It wasn't that he didn't have the will to; on the contrary, he was still determined to beat The Challenge. He was just so stuffed…

"Kazuki! Don't give up now!"

"C'mon, Kazuki! Just a couple of courses left!"

"We're all rooting for you!"

The encouraging shouts of his friends echoed in his ears. They had faith in him; he wouldn't let them down!

"Kazuki!"

Kazuki froze. That voice… "Tokiko?"

At the back of the crowd, Tokiko had her hands cupped to her mouth. I cannot believe I'm doing this… "Kazuki, if you've eaten this much, I know you can see this through to the end!"

That unpleasant business done with, Tokiko lowered her hands, her face a deep red. What possessed her to do that, she'd never know…

Fortunately, her words were just the thing Kazuki needed to hear. Opening his eyes, he sprang back up, rapidly shoving the fries into his mouth, heedless of the fact that his stomach again swelled a bit, or of the fact that his zipper was now all the way down. It wasn't long before he finished, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Next!"

The servers were astonished; no contestant had ever gotten this far before!

Nonetheless, they hurried to prepare the next course, which also happened to be the second-to-last one. This time, it was a massive plate of spaghetti, along with the biggest meatballs Kazuki had ever seen.

Ignoring his aching stomach, Kazuki grabbed his fork, twirled as much spaghetti as he could around it, and shoved the whole thing into his mouth, slurping up the noodles that were still sticking out. He repeated this a couple more times, until only the meatballs remained.

Not bothering to check his stomach (which had swelled further and caused a tiny rip to appear in his pants at the exact place where his zipper ended,) Kazuki stabbed a meatball with his fork, lifted it, and, with some difficulty, fit the whole thing into his mouth. Working his jaw, he managed to chew and swallow the whole thing. Then, he did the same thing to the next meatball, and then, finally, to the third and last meat ball.

Panting, Kazuki raised his arm. "N-next!"

As the final course was being prepared, Kazuki's eyes flicked downwards. Though it was near-impossible to see past his huge belly, Kazuki, through much maneuvering, managed to move it enough to see that the rip in the front of his pants had gotten a little bigger.

Kazuki winced, but then smiled. "Ah, I can get those fixed later…"

A clatter drew his attention to the table, and he saw that the last course had been served. He drew in a sharp breath when he beheld it.

The final course was a dessert; namely, a massive sundae with every flavor imaginable and topped with whipped cream, marshmallow topping, hot fudge…and, of course, a cherry.

Kazuki winced, both at the size of the sundae and the aching of his own stomach. "Well, here goes nothing…"

This time, he tackled the sundae more slowly. First, he concentrated mainly on the ice cream itself. With each spoonful, his stomach rumbled in protest, and the rip became infinitesimally larger.

After a few long, agonizing minutes, he had demolished the ice cream. Taking a deep breath, Kazuki then focused his attention on the toppings; easier said then done, considering how much there was. Nonetheless, Kazuki tackled these remnants, this time a bit faster.

First, the cherry; then, the marshmallow topping; then the whipped cream…

As he ate the toppings, the rip in his pants became even more apparent. By the time the last spoonful of whipped cream had entered his mouth, the rip had grown enough to expose Kazuki's plain, red boxers.

Kazuki flushed momentarily, but cleared his mind; he could worry about that later. For now, he had one last obstacle to tackle…

However, as he eyed the hot fudge, his stomach ached, this time even more than before. Kazuki winced; he'd need to finish this quickly…

With that in mind, Kazuki grasped the near-empty dish. Gulping, he lifted the whole thing up, tilted it, and let the hot fudge slide into his mouth.

Kazuki started as his stomach began to hurt even worse than before; he really hoped he could finish this before he threw up…

To this end, he tilted it even further, causing the hot fudge to flow faster… faster…

At long last, Kazuki swallowed the last of the hot fudge and slammed the now-empty dish onto the counter. Groaning, his head flopped onto the table. Even in this position, he could hear the thunderous cheering of the crowd, and the announcer's shouted statement of "We have a winner! Students of Ginsei Academy… Kazuki Mutoooo!" More cheering.

Even through his discomfort, Kazuki smiled; he'd done it! He'd proven his manhood!

As a feeling of sleepiness began to come over him, however, he thought, with fading coherence: I really hope I can stay awake…